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Saturday, August 02, 2014

WinPatrol’s Future Remains Bright

I recently announced a new trainer for Scotty the Windows Watch Dog. I knew the decision would be scrutinized but the former lead developer with Sunbelt Software, Bret Lowrey received a warm welcome. I promised long time WinPatrol fans I would do everything possible to keep our software something they could still recommend. Bret is proving to be just the guy to make it happen. The proof came with the introduction of the newest WinPatrol version 32. Bret’s ability to understand bug reports and feature requests provided the kind of communication we’ve needed. His intervention has helped find solutions to problems which never seemed to go away but have now been fixed.

I’ve been pleased and honored by many of the comments from WinPatrol fans. I’ve included some of the comments in this post. The announcement has generated more comments than any post since I began Bits From Bill in 2005. I haven’t experience this much WinPatrol luvin’ since it was distributed as Birthdayware.

I never expected WinPatrol to become my life but the exponential growth of mystery startup programs made it a must have program. Over the last couple years I’ve had some personal challenges but I’ve still worked hard to keep WinPatrol alive.

The role of designer, developer, and customer support rep while maintaining our web services was mission I accepted but it was obviously time for someone with fresh ideas and energy to take over.

Bret and I will continue working closely together for a few months to make sure the transition is smooth. His ability to understand WinPatrol and make sense of many years of my changes is a good sign for friends of Scotty. He has taken on the tough jobs allowing me time to prepare for my future.

I’ve had time to learn more of the secrets behind Windows 8.x, Windows 9 and have started to master some of the new development tools from Microsoft like the popular C# language. I’ve been told I should develop for Android but I believe if I can create an app that *I* want, it could be just as popular with others.

I’ve become a fan of Windows Phone but like the Windows RT operating system I see a need for some killer universal apps. WinPatrol was originally created because I wanted it for my own use. I’ve been using my Windows Surface RT and Nokia Icon phone since they were released and have plenty of ideas for unique ways to improve the Windows 8+ experience.

Some have asked me about the future of my Task Catcher program. BillP Studios will continue to support the current version online but I have noticed some features are missing that I’d like myself.

I expect a new Task Catcher in the future. It may not look like the current program and could be a complete rewrite using some of the newer tools from Microsoft.

Note: Yes, the DroidPatrol screen above represents a first pass at a Droid security program. Unfortunately, trying to keep up with vulnerabilities in Android did not meet the quality that our WinPatrol users have come to expect. This product is on hold at this time.